Patron saint of Spain
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
St. James the Greater, who is said to have preached the Gospel in Spain, where his relics are preserved at Compostella.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Patron saint of Spain” mean?
St. James the Greater, who is said to have preached the Gospel in Spain, where his relics are preserved at Compostella.
Is “Patron saint of Spain” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.